Cold Water Tanks

A cold water tank is used for storing water and can be made from a variety of different materials, including plastic, steel, fibreglass, concrete, ceramic, or stone. Water storage tanks have been used for hundreds of years and are generally designed to be extremely long lasting, but they can be susceptible to problems that require remedial treatment.

Cold Water Tank

A typical problem with any design of cold water tank is the issue of leaks. It is sometimes inevitable that over time the materials used to construct the tank can be affected by environmental factors. These can include extremes of temperature as well as high winds or seismic disturbances. Certain types of cold water tank installations have to be designed to take these factors into account. Wind can cause problems with elevated water tank storage facilities and therefore the structure needs to be secure enough to deal with high winds.

In domestic cold water tanks, leaks can be a real problem, particularly if the water storage tank is located in the loft or roof space. A small leak can often go un-noticed for a while and it is only when damp patches begin to appear on walls or ceilings that the leak becomes apparent. If the tank is made from plastic, it will normally require replacement, which can be a major inconvenience, not to mention an expense you might prefer not to have incurred.

Steel water storage tanks are susceptible to corrosion as well as leaks, but they can be repaired. Once a water storage tank begins to leak, it needs to be emptied in order to find the location of the leak so that it can be fixed. Any corrosion of the cold water tank interior can be dealt with using a grit blasting technique. This approach is typically used in large industrial cold water storage tanks. Grit blasting removes all traces of corrosion from the surface of the steel and once the tank is clean and free from grease, it can either be lined with polypropylene or coated with an epoxy resin material.

Epoxy resin coating is ideal for sealing steel water storage tanks against any further corrosion and leaks. The epoxy resin coating can either be painted on, or in the case of larger tanks, sprayed on. It dries in a very short space of time and further coats can be applied. Once the tank has been treated, it can be refilled with water and put back to normal use.

Underground cold water tanks can be fitted with specially designed internal liners that become the primary containment unit for the water inside. The liner offers extra protection against water leaks and can even be fitted with leak detection monitors so that the liner integrity is continually monitored. This enables leaks to be dealt with before they become a serious problem.

Tank linings can also be used to prolong the life of older water storage tanks. Unlike with epoxy resin coatings, no preparation is needed and the tank lining can be custom manufactured to any shape and size of water storage tank.